Something for everyone with NTT DoCoMo's new mobile phones

Japan’s biggest mobile phone operator, NTT DoCoMo, has unveiled a raft of new phones – 19 in all – along with a 3G-capable digital photo frame. The new lineup includes the waterproof F-02B (complete with snap-on perfume holder), four models packing a 12.2-megapixel camera and the world’s first phone with a separable two-module body.

The new lineup covers the company’s four main series of FOMA 3G handsets – the docomo STYLE series, docomo PRIME series, docomo SMART series and docomo PRO series.

The STYLE series is aimed at fashionistas who consider their phone a fashion item as well as a communication device. No less than ten new handsets have been added to the STYLE line with models including the waterproof F-02B, which includes a snap-on perfume holder, the SH-05B that was designed by models from Seventeen magazine, and the compact L-03B, which features a trilingual (Japanese/English/Korean) interface.

The multimedia friendly PRIME series sees the addition of five new models. The F-01B, F-04B, N-02B and SH-01B models all feature a 12.2-megapixel camera. The F-01B is also waterproof, while the F-04B has a separable two-module body that allows screen to be detached from the keyboard (though we're not quite clear on what benefits this brings at this stage). Meanwhile, the P-01B boasts a keypad that converts into a touchpad.

The SMART series gains two new models. The F-03B, which is a slim, waterproof phone that also sports a 12.2-megapixel camera, and the P-03B, which also features a slim design and boasts one of the longest battery lives among FOMA models of 720 hours 3G standby time and 230 minutes 3G talk time.

Aimed at the road warrior the PRO series also sees the addition of two new models. The SC-01B, a Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone featuring a touchscreen and QWERTY keypad, and the SH-03B, which also features a QWERTY keypad as well as a 3.7-inch touchscreen.

The lone digital photo frame announced is the Otayori Photo Panel 02, which is DoCoMo’s second model digital photo frame with 3G wireless connectivity released for use with the company’s Otayori Photo Service. It features a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and measures roughly 177 x 263 mm (6.9 x 10.3-inches).

NTT DoCoMo will release the Otayori Photo Panel 02 sometime around the New Year, while the new phones will see staggered releases between now and April 2010.

Darren's love of technology started in primary school with a Nintendo Game & Watch Donkey Kong (still functioning) and a Commodore VIC 20 computer (not still functioning). In high school he upgraded to a 286 PC, and he's been following Moore's law ever since. This love of technology continued through a number of university courses and crappy jobs until 2008, when his interests found a home at Gizmag. All articles by Darren Quick

I am over here in Japan, and just stopped by a DoCoMo kiosk the other day to peruse the new line-up.

"Cute" phones, with one display showing a stream of water running over the new waterproof phone.

The downside is price. The new lineup of phone start around $200 (especially with the dollar/yen ratio so low), and quickly start climbing in price from there. One could drop $500-$600 on a phone with less functionality than an iPhone.

The japanese do have great monthly plans that are "scaled"... starting at 980Yen ($11) and adjust upward based on your usage, with a ceiling on price if you max out your phone/text/net usage.

The nice thing is that only the caller is charged minutes, but it's expensive... usually 40c a minute for calling someone outside your carrier. How that all plays into the scaled pricing makes for some funny math... and some friends have phone bills that seem double what they should be....